Thursday, March 19, 2020
Why Americans Do Not Vote
Why Americans Do Not Vote Why Americans Do Not Vote Americans will be going to the ballot in November this year to elect their next President. This occurs amid the backdrop of a decreasing number of people who become less interested in politics in general and voting in particular. This is not a new trend in American politics, it has been witnessed earlier and the reasons for this trend have continued to be dynamic even as America continues to develop as a nation. This paper discusses the reasons why many American citizens do note vote in whichever kind of election, as they are mandated by the Constitution. The right to vote was one of the reasons why Civil Right Movement was active in American society since its independence in 1776.Not everyone was allowed to vote and this angered the human rights groups who believed that, all men are created equal and therefore they should be allowed to vote. The demands were granted in 1965 by the passing of the Voting Rights Act of the same year. However, many Americans are now avoiding the voting centers forgetting that voting is not only a civil obligation but also a constitutional mandate. Statistics indicate that many people who do not vote are the youth who are under 30 years representing 40%, infrequent voters form 29% while frequent voters who may refrain from voting form 14%. From my observation, the level of education and marital status plays a crucial role in the voting pattern. Another factor that influences voting trend is race with whites forming 54% of a nonvoting group. Equally, the amount of wealth owned has also been of great importance with more rich people embracing voting than the poor people. In addition, statistics indicate that the national voting percentage has dropped from 63.1% in 1960 to 56.8% in 2008, with the lowest turnout in presidential election in 1996 that had 49.1% voters.This statistics are for presidential elections only. Local elections normally have lower voter turnout than presidential elections. The main reason that Americans cite for their discouragement in voting is lack of time to go to vote. Many Americans are too busy with their work on the day of voting. Additionally, many of them also indicate that they have lost interest in voting because, according to them, the rich will always have what they want any way through poll rigging and other dirty tricks that serve their own interests. Similarly, many voters are subjugating their voting rights because of disappointment in the previous candidates. Most Americans believe that a candidate, whether a democrat or republican, is voted because of their well articulated policies and promises. However, many of those who get into the offices have failed to deliver on their campaign promises and this frustrates the voters. Most candidates who make it to high offices sit over and watch as Americans continue to suffer from the increased taxes, dwindling standards of living, lack of health insurance, among many other social problems that bedevil the American society.Such voters refrain from voting believing that the process cannot help them to transform their lives since the candidate will not deliver on his or her promises. Conclusion In conclusion, there is a need for voters awareness programs to enable the voters to make good choice during the electoral process especially on the person they are voting in as their President. This will help the undecided voters who really do not know what they want for the American society. I believe that all Americans are obliged to participate in all voting processes as it is their constitutional right and those who abscond to perform their obligation should be prosecuted. Equally, the elected leaders should also be obliged to deliver to their promises.
Monday, March 2, 2020
12 French Verbs You Might Not Be Using
12 French Verbs You Might Not Be Using Even after nearly a decade of French classes and numerous visits to France, there were some verbs that I didnt use until I moved here and was immersed in the language and culture. Some I had never learned, while others just seemed unusual or unnecessary. In case youre in the same boat, here are a dozen French verbs that I find essential in France, even if my French teachers didnt seem to think so.AssumerTo be fair, assumer is not a verb that I use every day, but I sure hear it a lot, especially in movies and TV shows. It doesnt mean to assume as in to take something for granted (the French translation of that meaning is prà ©sumer), but rather to assume / take on responsbility for something. So its very common in dramatic scenarios, like when one character does something wrong and another character tells him to accept the consequences.   Aprà ¨s son accident, jai dà » assumer le rà ´le de mon collà ¨gue.   After his accident, I had to take on / assume my collea gues role.   Cest toi qui las fait, alors assume !    You did it, so accept the consequences!Conjugating assumer | Using assumerSe dà ©brouillerIts funny that I only learned this verb after Id been studying French for many years, because se dà ©brouiller is perfect for describing less than perfect language skills. Possible translations include to get by, to manage, to cope. Se dà ©brouiller can also refer to getting by in non-language situations, and the non-reflexive dà ©brouiller means to untangle, to sort out.   Il se dà ©brouille bien en franà §ais.   He gets by fairly well in French, He speaks fairly good French.   Tu te dà ©brouilles trà ¨s bien.   You do very well for yourself, You make a good living.Conjugating dà ©brouiller | Using dà ©brouillerFaillirI love the verb faillir, partly because its not equivalent to a verb in English, but rather an adverb: to almost (do something).   Jai failli manquer lautobus.   I almost missed the bus.   Elle a failli tomber ce matin.   She nearly fell this morning.Conjugating faillir | Using faillirFicherFicher has a number of different meanings and uses. In the normal register, ficher means to file or to stick/drive (something) into (something). Informally, ficher means to do, to give, to put, and more.   Il a dà ©j fichà © les documents.   He already filed the documents.   Mais quest-ce que tu fiches, l ?   What the heck are you doing?Conjugating ficher | Using ficherIgnorerIgnorer is another great French verb that needs an adverb in the English translation: to not know. Sure, you can also say ne pas savoir, but ignorer is shorter and somehow more elegant.   Jignore comment elle la fait.   I dont know how she did it.   Il prà ©tend ignorer pourquoi.   He claims not to know why.Conjugating ignorer | Using ignorerInstallerYou know installer means to install, put in, set up, but it has additional meanings: to put up (e.g., curtains) and to furnish (a room). Sinstaller means to settle (into a lodging), to set oneself up, to sit down, or to take hold.Â Â à ‚ Tu as bien installà © ton appartement.   Youve furnished your apartment nicely.    Nous nous sommes enfin installà ©s dans la nouvelle maison.   Were finally settled in the new home.Conjugating installer | Using installerRangerRanger means to arrange, tidy, put away - any sort of action related to putting things where they belong. (Please, no comments on why I didnt know this verb.)   Peux-tu maider ranger la cuisine ?   Could you help me tidy up the kitchen?   Il a rangà © les documents dans le tiroir.   He put the documents away in the drawer.Conjugating ranger | Using rangerSe rà ©galerIts not surprising that the French have a verb, se rà ©galer, for talking about how delicious something is, but what is unusual is that the subject of the verb in the English translation can be different. Note that se rà ©galer can also mean to have a good time, and that rà ©galer means either to treat someone to a meal or to regale someone with a story.   Je me suis rà ©galà © !   It was delici ous! I had a delicious meal!   On sest bien rà ©galà © la fà ªte.   We had a great time at the party. Conjugating rà ©galer | Using rà ©galerRisquerYou likely use risquer to talk about risks, but what you might not know is that it can also be used for positive possibilities.   Attention, tu risques de tomber.   Careful, you might fall.   Je pense vraiment que notre à ©quipe risque de gagner.   I really think our team might win.Conjugating risquer | Using risquerTenirTenir is another verb with a whole host of meanings that you might not be aware of: to hold, keep, run (a business), take up (space), and more.   Peux-tu tenir mon sac ?   Can you hold my bag?   Ses affaires tiennent pas mal de place.   His things take up a fair amount of space.Conjugating tenir | Using tenirTrierThe verb trier is used to talk about sorting everything from recyclables to baskets of fruit.   Il faut trier avant de recycler.   You have to sort (your garbage) before recycling (it).   Beaucoup de ces frambois es sont pourries - aide-moi les trier.   A lot of these raspberries are rotten - help me sort them (separate the good and bad ones). Conjugating trier | Using trierTutoyerThe quintessential French verb, you can use tutoyer only when you think its time to take your relationships to the next level: switching from vous to tu. (And dont forget about its antonym vouvoyer.)   On peut se tutoyer ?   Can we use tu?   Normalement, on tutoie ses parents.   Normally, people use tu with their parents.Conjugating tutoyer | Using tutoyerRelated lessons:   Top 10 verbs   5 verbs you might be overusing
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